Baseball Stars
Reviewed by Mark Jerome
This game was a "Reader's Top 20 Choice" in GamePro magazine.
Say What? You want a baseball game that lets you control absolutely everything?
You want to be a player and a manager and you also want to build and manage the
teams in your very own league? Impossible, right? Wrong! Baseball Stars lets you
do all of that and more. Read on..
When you first sign up as a Baseball Star, you'll find that you've got more to learn
than simply how to pitch, hit and field the ball. In this game you can also create
your own teams and leagues, as well as sign up new players, trade with other
teams, and even send some players packing when they don't measure up.
When you first take the field, you'll find Baseball Stars also features hard-to-beat
player action and great graphics. When you step up to the batter's box you can move
around in the box, decide whether to swing, and even bunt the ball. As a runner on
base decide when to go for the steal. When your team takes the field, you control
pitching (fastball, changeup, curveball, and slider), as well as fielding (make
spectacularjumping or diving catches, as well as climb the wall to snag a potential
homerun!)
And, hey, if you don't like the way your team is playing, then change the batting
order, put in a reliever, move your players around on the field, make a blockbuster
trade, higher a potential superstar, or send that under-achieving reliever packing
or even fire everyone and start from scratch! After all, you're the star, and in this
baseball cart you call all of the shots - from the board room to the locker room to
the dugout to center field!
Graphics 8.5 out of 10
The graphics are crisp and clear, perfect for a baseball game. Though they are
nothing spectacular, it has very good graphics for the NES. When you climb the
wall to snag that potential home-run, your fielder sometimes falls right over
the wall! That is hilarious. Another good part is the females. I know it is cruel
but when the girls get beaned the fall to their knees and cry!
Music and Sound 7 out of 10
The sounds are regular. Plain baseball sounds as in other NES baseball games. The
plink of the bat, the high pitched sound of the ball in the air. There is no digitized
voices in the game, but that doesn't matter. The music is OK, but very, very repetitive.
After a few hours building your dream team you will be sick of it and quickly push
the mute button (of course I do that with all NES games).
Game Challenge 9 out of 10
The game challenge is affected by the player and the teams you choose to play with.
If you were to create your own team and decided to play against the American Dreams
without improving your team any, you would be massacred. You have to build up your
team to compete with the higher level teams just as in real baseball(and most other
team sports for that matter).
Game Play-Fun 10 out of 10
This game is a riot to play even in plain 1 player mode. It is always a delight to
see your team that you put time into mature and grow to a calibre higher than
the rest. It is also quite fun to build a great team and knock the snot out of your
friends :) . This baseball is my favorite NES game of all-time. Well worth the
money I payed for it. I still have fun with this game today, after 10 years of
wear it's kicking. This game is one of the funniest games I've ever played and by
far, in my opinion, the best NES baseball game out there.
Frustration
There is very little frustration, if any for that matter. There isn't any hair-pulling
puzzles and you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out how to play the
game. Pitching and hitting are all very simple and just needs to be developed so
you can throw consistent strike outs and hit the sweet spot on the bat. As long as
you stay within your own skill boundaries you won't have a problem.
Replayability 10 out of 10
I still have yet to see a game now that is as customizeable as this one. You can
make a team and name it, choose logo and colors, ] name your players, and buy
upgrades for your players. There is so much to do it takes a while to get tired
of it. Besides all this managerial stuff, the actual baseball is one of the best
around, and I personally believe it IS the best on the NES. Even though I'm not a
big baseball fan (in fact I hate the sport) this game will still hold a special
place in my heart.
Game Value 10 out of 10
Since you can probably find this game at the most for 20 buck, I suggest you pick
up a copy. It's been fun for me for the last 5 years. It's a classic and has some
features most games still don't provide today.
Overall 9.5 out of 10